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Food to fall in love over: 16 great date night restaurants in Manchester

1 year ago

Manchester’s not short of options when it comes to show-stopping restaurants for a romantic meal. From dinner in the clouds at Climat, to the Michelin starred menu at Mana, to deluxe sushi and cocktails at MUSU, these places know how to make an impression.

Add them to your date night or Valentine’s list. They’re sure to be smitten.

Know somewhere that deserves to be on this list? Let us know on X (Twitter) @CnfGuides

  • Book Now Levenshulme

    Cibus

    Bars

    Once a stall at Levy Market, then a pop-up pizzeria above Fred’s Ale House, Cibus took baby steps to get to where it is today – a fully-fledged and much-praised Italian restaurant and bar on Levenshulme high street.

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  • Dakota Grill Manchester Lamb Rump
    Book Now Northern Quarter

    Dakota Grill Manchester

    Bars

    Dakota Grill Manchester is the work of former Malmaison owner, Ken McCollough and it is as dark-hued and handsome as the successful boutique hotel chain. It’s an inviting place with flickering candlelight, very retro-sexy – sure to be the setting for many a first date.

    The focus at Dakota is on steaks which are very good – all grass-fed, 28 day-aged, hand-cut Aberdeenshire beef cooked over hot coals.

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  • Book Now Manchester City Centre

    Evuna Manchester Deansgate

    Bottle Shop

    October 2003 saw the first of the four Evunas open, grabbing a prime position on Deansgate and a reputation for being a go-to place for Spanish cuisine. Plenty of exposed brick, wine-lined walls and low, dark lighting all add to the atmosphere, perfect for cosying up over those authentic small plates.

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  • Book Now Piccadilly

    Malmaison Manchester Piccadilly

    Hotel

    Malmaison Manchester Piccadilly is an impressive boutique hotel in the perfect spot. It’s just minutes from Manchester Piccadilly train station, a heartbeat away from the Northern Quarter with its buzzing nightlife and independent shops, and well-placed for Manchester’s commercial centre.

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  • Hakkapo is a Japanese restaurant in Manchester's First Street district.
    Book Now Manchester City Centre

    Hakkapo

    Restaurant

    Hakkapo is Manchester’s Izakaya – that is, a Japanese bar where people go to eat, drink and just generally hang out after a long day at work.

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  • One of the dishes served at MUSU in Manchester
    Book Now Spinningfields

    KAJI

    Bars

    The MUSU Collection is a group of innovative modern Japanese dining experiences, all under one roof. With three AA rosettes, this is the cutting edge of Manchester’s restaurant scene.

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  • Book Now Northern Quarter

    The Pen & Pencil

    Bars

    The Pen and Pencil is the Northern Quarter’s cool all-day hangout, modelled on the New York bar of the same name popular with the city’s journalists and ad men in the 1950s and 1960s. It has a reputation for great cocktails, quality food and an atmosphere that makes it stand out from nearby imitators.

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  • Cured mackerel in horseradish emulsion, from the tasting menu at Skof, one of the best restaurants in Manchester.
    Book Now Manchester City Centre

    Skof

    Restaurant - Modern British

    Skof is the first restaurant from chef Tom Barnes who, as head chef at Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume, helped it win its third Michelin star. 

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  • Beef tataki at Sora Manchester, a rooftop bar and restaurant in Malmaison Deansgate
    Book Now Manchester City Centre

    Sora Manchester

    Restaurant - Pan Asian

    Sora Manchester is a rooftop bar and restaurant serving up sushi, Pan Asian small plates and views across the city’s impressive Victorian neo-Gothic architecture.

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  • Book Now Manchester City Centre

    Piccolino Caffe Grande Manchester

    Bars

    With its terrace overlooking Albert Square and Manchester Town Hall, and a beautiful interior featuring a 40-seater private dining room, an open kitchen, and an oyster bar, Piccolino Caffé Grande Manchester is a real destination restaurant. (And, notably, it’s one that doesn’t price people out of the experience.)

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  • Lunch at 20 Stories, Manchester.
    Spinningfields

    20 Stories

    Bars

    Manchester’s highest restaurant, bar and terrace 20 Stories was the opening of 2018 and still maintains its status as one of the city’s most popular place to eat, drink, be snapped and be seen.

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  • Book Now Spinningfields

    Australasia

    Bars

    Cool Pacific Rim fusion fare for the fashion set. Australasia combines a sense of theatre with professionalism and culinary wizardry, making any occasion feel special.

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  • Sale

    Canteena Bar & Grill

    Bars

    Based in the unit of Stanley Square that was once home to Sale Food Hall, Canteena Bar & Grill is serving up hearty Modern British meals in a food hall-style setting.

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  • Oysters from Climat, Manchester.
    Manchester City Centre

    Climat

    Restaurant - Modern British

    The first thing you notice when you step into fine-dining restaurant Climat is the view. Situated on the roof of Blackfriars House, you’re just above the city skyline, close enough to see the details of the architecture, but high enough to feel like you’re in the clouds.

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  • Cocktails served at San Carlo Fumo in Manchester city centre
    Oxford Road

    Fumo

    Bars

    With its terrace overlooking Oxford Road and its much-photographed spiral staircase, Fumo is a favourite spot in Manchester for dinner and drinks with friends.

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  • A dish from Hawksmoor, Manchester.
    Spinningfields

    Hawksmoor

    Bars

    The first Hawksmoor steakhouse outside of London is a confident affair. Well sourced steak and attention to detail have created a place like no other.

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  • One of the dishes served at Kambuja in Marple - one of the few Cambodian restaurants in the North.
    Book Now Marple

    Kambuja

    Restaurant - Cambodian

    Many of us are familiar with the vibrant cuisines of Vietnam and Thailand but Cambodian, or Khmer, food is still relatively unexplored territory in the UK. Kambuja in Marple is one of the country’s few dedicated Cambodian restaurants – and it’s a good one. It received rave reviews in the national press when it opened in 2017 under its former name of Angkor Soul.

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  • Sushi from Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay, Manchester.
    Manchester City Centre

    Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay

    Bars

    Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay is the first restaurant that the famed TV chef has decided to open in the city of Manchester, despite already having opened Bread Street Kitchen & Bar in Liverpool last year. 

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  • Wagyu with barbecued nettles at Mana restaurant in Manchester.
    Ancoats

    Mana

    Restaurant - Modern British

    Michelin-starred restaurant Mana is the brainchild of chef patron Simon Martin who mastered his trade at the renowned Noma in Copenhagen. At Mana, Martin has succeeded in carving his own path – one which confuses and delights people in equal measure.

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  • Manchester City Centre

    Tast

    Restaurant - Spanish

    Catalan restaurant Tast brings the fiercely independent spirit of north-eastern Spain to your table courtesy head chef Paco Pérez – holder of six Michelin stars – and his passionate team, who run eight acclaimed restaurants around the world.

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  • Crab, mussel and caviar fishcakes at TNQ.
    Northern Quarter

    TNQ

    Restaurant - Modern British

    This unassuming, independent restaurant overlooking the historic Smithfield Fish Market is a stalwart of the Northern Quarter’s dining scene. Co-owner and chef Anthony Fielden has been cooking up a storm at TNQ since 2004, winning various awards and accolades along the way. 

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